Captain Complex
by heka
Summary: A Hitsugaya and Hinamori drabble. Doesn't have much spoilers. Basically Hitsugaya's thoughts on Hinamori, friendship, and angst. It's always angst when it comes to Shirouchan. Poor dear.


Hello everyone! Heka here, new to the entire Bleach society!

Dark: Hear, hear.

Shigure: Oh look… another series…

Heka: Pleased to meet you all! Let me introduce Dark Mousy and Shigure Sohma, who are my current muses and not very good ones at that.

Dark, Shigure: Oi, what!

Heka: Actually I decided to rope in another character, as it is my tradition to kidnap, threaten with murder, borrow, steal, whatever, a favourite character from the current series I like as it made things more interesting.

Dark, Shigure: Hear, hear…

Heka: I rest my case.

Dark, Shigure: Curse you… evil woman…

Heka: Thus! I decided to rope in Kuchiki Byakuya, as he, Dark and Shigure are all voiced by the same seiyuu! Is this coincidence or what? However, there was a problem!

Dark: Here we go.

Heka: Kuchiki Byakuya politely declined every invitation I sent to him asking him to appear here!

Shigure: It was worst than that creepy Sesshoumaru guy. At least he appeared once or twice.

Heka: It was merely a case of knowing one's weaknesses. Knowing Sesshy's weakness, I tempted Rin over with lollipops!

Dark, Shigure: (Applause)

Dark: I taught her that.

Heka: Dark came rather willingly, now that I think about it…

Dark: You bloody well kidnapped me, bitch.

Heka: Ah yes, with promises of an exclusive night with a certain Riku Harada!

Dark: Damn you.

Heka: So! For Kuchiki tai-chou to so graciously appear here today, I got Dark to steal his most prized possession!

Shigure: Which is?

Heka: His photograph of Hisana!

Shigure: Bravo!

Dark: I marvel at our intelligence sometimes…

Heka: And Dark Mousy so kindly left a wonderful note telling him our position! Unfortunately, it means that Kuchiki tai-chou won't actually be happy to appear here…

(From rather far off) Kuchiki Byakuya: Chire, Senbonzakura!

Dark: What was that?

Heka: Oh, just his shinkai, that's actually his sword broken into countless little bits that flutter around like flower blossoms but they're really lethal as they can cut through-

Dark, Shigure: We are so out of here.

Heka: But it's so rare that he actually consents to come!

Dark: Shut up and start running!

Kuchiki Byakuya: Infidels. Return me my picture. Now.

Dark: How'd he get here so quickly?

Heka: His famous flash steps!

Dark, Shigure: We're going! And you're coming with us! With!

Heka: Aaahh….

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**Title: Captain Complex **

Couple: Hitsugaya Toushirou and Hinamori Momo (I love this couple)

She really did have a captain complex.

Not that he minded, of course. He was, after all, a Captain as well. Captains should not be bothered with such trivialities.

Besides, he was her best friend and she told him everything, spending (too) much time with him, regardless of whether he had wanted to or not, so he _really_ shouldn't mind it at all.

Still, he should have foreseen it, with his intelligence and observing skills, from the moment she had been accepted into the Central Spirit Training Institute. After all, she was a girl and one who would be easily influenced by her surroundings. He should have gone with her, to stop her from getting stupid ideas in her head.

And she still kept saying that he was a child, and that she had to take care of him. What irony.

At least they still met, as she made it a point to come back and talk to him, like they used to, outside his home in Rukongai. She told him about her classmates; Abarai Renji, who was good with swords but not magic; Kira Izuru, who didn't like swordplay and finally, how majestic the Captains had looked, during that one day that they came over for an inspection.

'… and the Captains, Shirou-chan! They looked so… so…'

'Stupid?' he offered randomly, while devouring his usual supply of water melons. She laughed.

'No, Shirou-chan, they looked so regal! Captain Aizen…'

That was it. That was the beginning. He should have known, should have seen and should have nipped it in the bud while he still could have done so.

But he didn't.

Instead, he kept his silence when she announced her dream of making it into the Fifth Squad, thinking that it was another one of her silly ideas. She recounted the day the Captains inspected the Institute, telling him how nervous she had been when she got pushed out of the orderly row of trainees, straight into the Captain's path. And then how considerate and kind Captain Aizen had been, just smiling at her in such an understanding manner that she actually felt that she was _supposed_ to fall out of the row.

He continued listening as she recounted her breathless tale of how Renji, Izuru and her had been cornered by a huge evil Hollow spirit, after Hisagi, their leader had been injured. Then Captian Aizen had appeared like her knight in shining armour, who thanked her for keeping the Hollows busy while they were coming and petted her head.

She blushed when she said this.

He frowned. He should have seen it. However he ignored the nagging feeling of unease he felt and continued consuming his watermelons, content that she was telling him all of this, even when she was away.

Then he had been offered a place by the Institute itself.

She was overjoyed, saying how he would be able to join her in lessons, how they would be able to study together, and perhaps even work together towards getting to Captain Aizen's squad! He had scoffed and laughed even, saying that he didn't want to be in some weakling's squad and that he would be his own Captain, and very generously (in his opinion) told her that she could join if she wanted to.

She had laughed at his ambition, not unkindly, and told him that she still wanted to go to Aizen's squad.

He felt a little worm squirm uncomfortably in his heart.

Still, it had been easy for him; he had breezed through the trainings, the lessons and practices, without even breaking into a mild sweat.

And still they found time to meet and talk. Well, she would anyway. Telling him of mundane events, like how she felt that Renji had fostered something for a certain Kuchiki Rukia. He had snorted at her deductions and told her that it was unfounded. She had been rather put out, having thought that she would be able to trust him with that bit of information of hers. Upon hearing that, he narrowed his eyes irritably and told her in gruff tones that he suspected that as well, citing several examples to validate his point. And she never asked how he found out, through he was definitely at least a grade higher than her.

As the 'genius' of the Institute, he naturally and effortlessly achieved the Captain status, discovering his Soul Slayer's bankai, its final and most lethal form. She had been ecstatic for him, saying that he would now enjoy so many privileges, just like Captain Aizen.

He had frozen at that statement, reminded forcefully once again, of her infatuation with that man.

However with the privileges came responsibilities and he shouldered them well, earning the respect of his Squad and lieutenant. Knowing his environment, he knew that he would be discriminated against to a slight extent, being a mere _boy_; and his attitude changed slightly to adapt and he subconsciously developed a constant frown, one she quickly noticed.

'Shirou-chan, you should smile more!'

'Hai, hai, Momo! After you quit wetting the bed!'

He knew of her fears and nightmares. She told him _everything_.

She was promoted to the position of lieutenant in the Fifth Squad not long after, under the charismatic Captain Aizen. Then did he experience the full extent of her worship and he frowned much more deeply, growing colder without even knowing it.

On her first day, she had related to him how kind her Captain had been; how patient he was with her in showing her the ropes around the office, presenting her with a cloth to tie her hair with as a welcome gift. And to his alarm, that had been the catalyst, and he had lost her after that, to a man who didn't even notice her existence, other than as his lieutenant.

Not that, he admitted bitterly to himself, he ever had her in the first place.

Now her hair was always tied in a bun, held captive by the cloth that Aizen had given her. He on the other hand, always preferred her hair free or in an endearing plait, testifying to her cheery and carefree nature. However the bun restricted her hair, making her looks more mature and uncharacteristically severe.

And he hated it. She didn't look like Hinamori Momo with the bun; she looked like a strict secretary.

Did her Captain truly know her as a person?

But still he held his tongue and listened. Every word she had for Aizen, he listened and remembered, even though it hurt him so much to hear her talk about other men. He told himself that with every word that she had for Aizen, he was going to make sure he, Captain Hitsugaya of the Tenth Squad, had ten more. He even tried to be more mature, thinking that she preferred maturity and wisdom.

For now, he listened to detailed summaries on Captain Aizen's behaviour, how he liked putting his glasses on the left side of his table, always in the same way: flat down with the lenses facing the ceiling, whenever he took them off, or perhaps how he liked taking walks alone in the extensive grounds of the City of Pure Souls in the evening, making her worry.

He frowned once again. He made her _worry_?

He was amazed though, at the wealth of detail she had extended to, down to how Aizen liked to tie his Soul Slayer (right over left before tying the last elegant knot), something that was almost as close as his level of observing her. He always knew when she arrived for example, as her characteristic smell of peach would waft before her, alerting him and preventing her from ever surprising him. Also her eyes were beautiful, blazing with care and concern over him… or in admiration for Aizen. And she had the most adorable laugh, which was enough to melt him, the welder of the most powerful cold elemental sword in the City of Pure Souls, into a helpless puddle at her feet.

How strange indeed, that her own Captain never noticed any of this.

The final blow came earlier this afternoon, when Aizen had been murdered. The look of horror on her face, her cry of despair and the fact that he could practically feel her heart shattering into a million pieces was so deeply etched into his being that he felt like it had been burned through his skull. Then it had solidified into a face of sheer hatred, and he stepped in, under the pretext of stopping the fight which would eventually separate two good friends forever, to prevent her from doing something stupid in her blind fury. Subsequently, he had her sent away, her face streaked with tears of loss and betrayal and his heart had bled had like it been pricked by countless needles.

The only action he had done at that time, to show just how important she was to him, had only been heard by Ichimaru Gin, the Captain of the Third Squad and her good friend- Kira Izuru's superior. The mere thought of his best friend losing her innocence by spilling blood for a man who did not even notice her child-like devotion to him made him so furious, so incensed by the unfairness of it all, that he had threatened Gin with a fate worst than death, should the ever-smiling man be the one who made her so distraught by killing her beloved Captain.

And she never did notice anything he did for her.

As Hitsugaya Toushirou, Captain of the Tenth Squad, considered everything, he scratched his head and sighed. He then looked up, his green eyes reflecting the moon's soft gleam.

She really did have a Captain complex.

The only problem was that why wasn't it all for him?

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Heka: I don't know… this looks like one of my better works but then again, it doesn't.

Dark: It's called indecision.

Shigure: Oh-ho! I know this feeling. I get it just before I send my manuscript to Mit-san.

Heka: First I tried to put down what he thought and did for Momo. Then it sort of changed. Strange.

Shigure: The plot bunny runs fast.

Dark: It's bloody dodgy too.

Heka: And it looks pretty short too. I'm disappointed in myself.

Dark: There, there. Go on and write The Keeper. I'm sure people are waiting.

Shigure: Yeah, I predicted the ending for that story. I demand to see the ending!

Heka: Hey… what happened to Byakuya?

Shigure: I sort of… gavehimbackhispicture.

Heka: Why? It took Dark so long to steal it!

Shigure: Well he WAS threatening to cut me to pieces…

Heka: Shigure! You were the spearhead of a totally new and creepy way of Stalking Your Favourite Bleach Character! And you gave him back his picture just because he was _threatening_ to cut you? You need to sort of your priorities!

Shigure: Dude, he was scary! You need to get _your_ priorities sorted out! I was going to be cut up!

Dark: For once, I agree with Shigure.

Heka: You do?

Shigure: You_ do_?

Dark: What? Is it wrong to agree with your cowardly side for once?

Shigure: I resent that.

Dark: It's _true_.

Heka: Sometimes…


End file.
